Rachid Novaire

(b. Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1979) is a great talent, discovered at an early age when he took part in (the Dutch-Arabic cultural foundation) El Hizjra's writing competition. At nineteen years of age, he brought out a volume of stories, Reigers in Caïro [Herons in Cairo], 1999. In 2000, he was nominated for the NPS Culture Prize for rising talents. In 2003, Novaire's first novel Maïsroest [Corn Blight] was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize. Het lied van de rog [The Stingray's Song], 2007, a historical novel set in China. His latest novel is Afkomst [Roots], 2008, a semi-autobiographical novel about a young man in search of his family's roots.